Protesters clash with police in riot outside Beit Shemesh job fair

Dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters clashed with police in Beit Shemesh on Wednesday during a protest against a municipality-sponsored job fair aimed at integrating members of the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community into the economy, though it didn’t significantly deter turnout at the event.

With cries of “gevalt” and carrying signs bemoaning the “destruction” of Judaism, the black clad protesters attempted to block the road outside of the community center where the event was taking place, screaming epithets at passing women and calling riot policemen, who held them back “murderers” and “Nazis.”

Mounted policemen circled the screaming protesters, pushing them back as officers on foot tussled with stragglers. As two policemen pulled one of the protesters into the back of a police car, one of his compatriots rushed forward and was told by an officer to “act like a man and not a beast.”